The Legend of Lord Rayne
by Dornroschen
Summary: Based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Buffy is the fiancee of an execuative at a record company, Lord William Rayne denounced Christ in the 1666 after his wife killed herself. What is it that links them?
1. Prologue

Prologue   
  
"Ring a ring of roses  
  
A pocket full of posies  
  
Atichoo, atichoo!  
  
We all fall down..."  
  
The year is 1666. A man with brown hair and the remains of wealthy Tudor clothing walks through the dark, winding streets of London, there is blood on his face and his hands. He lurches drunkenly into a rotting door, a red cross daubed on it. Plague has hit the city hard, and still it does not relent. Letting go of a loud sob, he pushes away from the door and continues his slow, painful ramble of the rat infested streets.  
  
He looks up into the night sky, and with every fibre of his body he curses God. The pale, angelic face of Drusilla haunts him, her singing the song they heard the children sing about the plague. Her laughter at his jokes, her delight at the words he wrote on paper. Every memory shreds his heart into smaller pieces. Who would have thought that the plague would strike his beloved Drusilla, of all people. They had both been careful of course, always wearing the white masks and avoiding the corpses, but Drusilla had always been unable to resist doing anything she could to help the suffering. She had always had the herb lore her mother had taught her, ingrained on her brain, and so she had always made any remedies she could to help those in suffering. But of course, when you cling to someone falling, they will often drag you with them. And she had fallen ill as well. He had not accepted it, not until he heard the hacking cough and the boils sprung up angrily on her skin. It had been his task to paint a cross on their door, she had pleaded with him to leave her, but he would not. Earlier that day, she had asked him to bring her flowers, and so running he went out to find flowers, he brought them back, only to find her on the bed, her body nearly empty of blood. She had taken her life, not being able to see him suffer more.  
  
He knew God's law, she would go to hell for comiting the heinous sin of suicide. A wretched sob broke free, and he cursed God's name again. Looking up at the night sky, void of stars, he knew where he was going.  
  
He entered the church, just as the rain began to fall. The crucifix above the alter caught his attention. He walked towards it, his eyes fixed on the statue of Jesus Christ on the cross. A dark smirk crossed his features and he picked up the candle next to the baptisimal font, he lit it on a burning candle and for a second his cornflour blue eyes were transfixed by the glow. Then he turned back to the cross.  
  
"I denounce you. I denounce Christ. I denounce the Father, The Son and The Holy bloody Spirit" He threw the candle at the wooden cross and it crumbled on impact, the flame catching on the wood, slowly the flames licked up on the polished wood until the entire statue was in flames. Taking the knife Drusilla had used to cut her own throat with, he attacked any religious symbol in the church, cursing and denouncing his faith.   
  
His words were cut off by an unpleasent hacking cough, as blood spilled out of his lungs. His eyes watered uncontrollably as blood ran from his eyeballs, and his body convulsed uncontrollably. A piercing scream, broken off by a gurgle of blood escaped him. It would appear that the almighty God did care about what His children did after all... 


	2. Chapter I

**{This is based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, some of the characters have needed some of their personalities fixed slightly, but they should be all relatively similar. I own nothing.}**

**Chapter 1 **

_January 18th, 2004__, LA_

The phone rang loudly. The blonde woman making the sandwich sighed and ran for the cordless white mess of plastic and wires, tucking her hair behind her left ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Buff, it's me"

"Hey Angel, what's up?"

"Just got a call, they want me to fly out to England to see some Lord or whatever about a partnership, basically I have to fly out this evening, and I'll be back in about a week"

"Oh...but, tonight was meant to be-"

"I know, I know, and its killing me, but this is real important for the label, and, y'know how it is..."

"Yeah, I guess" Elizabeth 'Buffy' Anne Summers sighed heavily, putting her hand over the phone so that her fiancée of 6 months, Angel didn't hear. He was an executive in a record label and often had to travel, not normally at such short notice, and never when he had promised they'd get a quiet night in together.

"Look, I gotta run. But, I love you, and I'll call you when I get there"

"Okay, love you too. Bye" Buffy put down the phone, and then went back to her sandwich. Looked like she'd be spending a night out with her friends Willow and Anya after all...

Angel checked his watch and pulled his coat around him a little closer. A sea mist was closing in, damp and needle like as gloom continued to cling the small train station he had found himself in, waiting for his cab to take him over to Lord Rayne's estate. The flight had been boring an uneventful, as it had been for the train journey to this small town in Suffolk. Now though, he was getting pretty creeped out. The train station was completely deserted at 4 am and there was a thick fog. In addition to this, the one other person who had been on the train, upon finding out that Angel was visiting Lord Rayne, had given him a startled look, nodded his head jerkily, folded up his newspaper and fled into the next carriage.

Shivering at the sudden decrease in temperature, Angel looked to see the lights of a car. A black cab, looking suspiciously like a hearse, pulled up. The window rolled down and a man wearing black, with a large hat covering his face enquired

"Are you Mr. Angel O'Conner?"

"Yeah, I am"

"Please, get in Sir"

"Uh, right…where?"

"Preferably the seat behind me, the far back is currently occupied" The window was rolled back up, leaving a surprised Angel. He raised his eyebrows, then opened the car door and dumped his bags before climbing in himself.

They started off by driving through the small village. It was made up of small thatched cottages, in the high street there was a crossing for the trains, a pub, a second hand bookshop and a large funeral directors. The driver did not engage in conversation on the hour's trip to the manor. Angel sat, staring out of the window, finding himself more and more apprehensive as the distance increased. Not only was the mist thick, but the trees were completely void of leaves, and instead were hunched up over the bleak landscape like skeletons. No animals inhabited the large fields, save for a large hare that Angel saw dart from one side of a field to another.

After what seemed like a year, they came to a long wall, they drove along it for about 15 minutes, before they came to an archway with statues of gargoyles leering from above. A coat of arms was engraved into the stone of the wall either side, and the hearse drove under the arch, and onto the very long driveway. A huge, grey mansion, which looked more like a fort than a stately home loomed from the middle of the grounds. Hedges and flower beds were in immaculate condition, and more dead looking trees were dotted around. The car passed a large fountain, and parked itself next to a small amount of black cars.

"We're here" The driver stated "You may leave now"

"Uh, right…" Angel gathered his bags "How do I get in?"

"The gate is unlocked, if it is however, use the communicator"

"Okay, well, thankyou"

He received silence, so opened the door and walked up to the wall surrounding the mansion. The gate was unlocked, and he pressed the button to open it. It rose with a loud clatter and nervously, Angel walked up to the arched front door, glanced at the gargoyles, and then hesitantly rang the bell.

The door opened with a loud creak. Angel took a step back, then found himself greeted by a man a little shorter than him. His age was impossible to tell, his hair was bleached and combed back, his face thin, pale and accented with razor sharp cheekbones. His eyes were a bright blue and his lips were fixed in a smirk, or sneer, it was hard to tell. He worse a red dress shirt, and black trousers, in his hand (with suspiciously long, black fingernails) he held a wine glass, half full of the dark red alcoholic.

"Good evening Mr O'Connor" He said in a refined cockney accent, "I am William Rayne…you can call me William."

"Good…evening" Angel replied, deciding not to point out that it was in fact, 5am, and not the evening at all.

"Do come in" William turned and strode through the candle lit hallway into a side room. "Leave your luggage in the hall, my butler will come and deposit it in your room"

Angel swallowed, then stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was the complete lack of temperature inside the richly furnished home. The second was the Tudor portraits of deceased family members, and the third, the non existence of electrical appliances. It was as if the hallway hadn't been refurbished since 1600…

"Do come through Mr O'Connor" Lord Rayne called.

"Please, call me Angel" He was startled by the contrast of this room with the hallway, it was a modern office, complete with Andy Warhol paintings and an Apple Mac computer on the glass topped desk. William sat in the high backed, lather office chair, his feet resting on the desk. He waved a free hand at the chair in front of the desk, and Angel sat in it.

"I hope your journey was pleasant" William said idly

"Oh, yeah, it was fine"

"And you slept"

"On the flight"

"Well, you won't mind getting straight to business then eh, Angel?"

"No, not at all"

For an hour and 47 minutes, according to the digital clock on the desk, they discussed Angel's label, and various contracts and deals. After Angel had disguised a yawn for the 7th time, William smiled

"Ready to be shown your room then?"

"Uh…little jet lagged"

"This way then" William swung his legs off the desk and bounced out of the chair. He then waved his arm for Angel to follow, he rose out of his chair and followed the Lord up the main flight of stairs, then another, and into a fair sized room with a window overlooking the lake behind the house. Angel's luggage was neatly piled in his room, and he took off his coat, placing it untidily on the bed, his wallet slipped out, and due to the age of it, it fell open. Not noticing this, Angel picked up his coat and put it on the back of the door, which William stood by.

Lord Rayne's blue eyes noticed the wallet, and he went to pick it up. On the inside, there was a photo of a smiling young woman, and a familiarity stirred inside the man, he knew her, he just did not know how.

"Who's she?" he asked sharper than intended

"Huh?" Angel turned and saw William holding the wallet, in which there was a picture of Buffy "Oh, that's my fiancée, Buffy, well, Elizabeth"

"…Elizabeth" William muttered in barely more than a whisper.

Drusilla Elizabeth Anne Rayne. Drusilla Elizabeth Anne Summers before she had taken William's name instead of her own. Although her facial features were different, and she was blonde, he knew that the name was not a coincidence, he knew it so well it felt like his heart could start beating again after nearly 400 years.

"You're a very lucky man then, congratulations. I will see you later today if not tomorrow. I'll have my butler send for you in time for dinner tomorrow." He made to leave, then stopped "I should like it if you would stay for the next month or so, I think it would be beneficial to the type of deal we aim to make. Good night Angel"


	3. Chapter II

**{This is based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, some of the characters have needed some of their personalities fixed slightly, but they should be all relatively similar. I own nothing.}**

**Chapter 2 **

_January 20th, 2004__, LA_

"You mean, still no word from Angel?"

"Well, he called, too say that the lord was a creepy guy, and that he's gotta stay for like, the next month"

"The next _month_"

"I know it's stupid! What's he gonna do that'll take a month?!"

"Did you try talking him out of it?"

"Yeah, but he just called me up, said he loved me" At this Buffy's red-headed friend Willow rolled her eyes "Yeah, said he loved me, said he was fine, and that he had to stay for a month"

"And…?"

"He said that the lord was creepy, but he had to stay for the benefit of the label. I tried arguing but then he had to go."

"…men" Willow huffed "Thank goddess I don't need them anymore

Buffy nodded "So, looks like it's another girl's night with Anya and Tara then…?"

"You bet. Anya's having some party tonight, so we're gonna go and have fun"

"Sounds like a plan!"

Anya was the daughter of a wealthy film producer, who adored his little girl. Needless to say, she still lived at home, in a small mansion in Beverly Hills. She was spoilt, money obsessed and blunt, but Buffy's and Willow's worlds would be much duller without her. In addition to being rich, Anya took great delight in being flighty with men. A party at her house, meant that she would flit between however many she was interested in at that time, while a lot of rich people got drunk, and Willow, Buffy and Willow's girlfriend Tara sat in the corner, normally leaving about 6 hours before everyone else.

----

Angel had been at the fortress like manor for 2 days now. He did not like it. The temperature was constantly below freezing, the weather was gloomy and frequently stormy or misty. And then there were the other inhabitants of the manor. Lord Rayne for one thing, was the most disturbing person Angel had ever met. To Angel he was polite and occasionally humorous, yet whenever Angel's back turned he was certain that Lord Rayne was going to jump on him from behind and drink his blood…or something. This wasn't help by when it was mealtimes; all Lord Rayne ate was a glass of red wine and some kind of red meat. He was also unsure as to how Lord Rayne managed to enter rooms without making a single noise, and the previous night, on returning from the lavatory, Angel could have sworn he saw Lord William's shadow, yet there was no one in that part of the house.

Then there was the butler, Mr Wyndam-Price, an odd, soft spoken man who Angel was positive he had seen snatching a fly out of the air and eating it. The thought made him shudder. Also, there was the disturbing way in which Mr Wyndam-Price called Lord Rayne "Master" in an obsessive manner. Lastly there were the 3 women who came every evening to the house, the only visitors. Lord Rayne wasn't hideous, it made sense that women would find him attractive, and so Angel's original thought was that they were "play-mates", however, he was no longer so sure, as William did not appear to spend any time with them at all.

A knock at the door made Angel jump and come out of his disturbed thoughts "Yeah?"

Mr Wyndam-Price entered "Master wishes you to join him for dinner in the main hall"

"Okay, sure"

The odd butler nodded and left the room. Angel shuddered involuntarily and got up from the chair beside the window, heading out and down the stairs. In the main hall he went through the large door into the long, velvety gloom of the dining room. The table was very long, probably best suited for about 30 people. As it was, Lord Rayne sat at one end, Angel at the other, in ebony carved chairs.

Like every night, William sat at one end with a plate of red meat, and a large crystal glass of red wine. A crystal pitcher was next to his glass with more wine in. Angel sat down opposite, his plate containing salad, a bread roll, and chicken slices.

"Good evening"

"Evening" Angel replied

"So, Angel, tell me about America. I've never been myself, and I cannot say I am not curious. Tell me about your family, hometown, tell me about Elizabeth"

Masking his feeling of unease, Angel started eating, after taking a sip of water he began answering "Not so much to tell, was born and raised in New York where my family came to from Ireland in the 1800s, moved with my mom to LA when I was 11, went to college a few hours away in a place called Sunnydale. Met _Buffy_ when I was at College, she was studying History cuz that's where they'd put her, she fell asleep in the class and I woke her up and lended her my notes, we kinda got on from there"

"And where is she from? What does she like?" William asked

"Ah, y'know, all that romantic stuff girls love, figure skating…kick boxing. She lived in LA her whole life, then when she was about 16 her dad left to go to Spain with his secretary and she moved with her mom and sister to Sunnydale."

"I see. Where do her family originate?"

"I dunno, England I guess, her and her mom are both blonde"

"I see" William took a long draft of wine and then slowly picked at his meat, Angel tried to ignore the disturbing way his teeth seemed to get bigger as he put the meat in his mouth by biting into one of the bread rolls. The meal continued in silence until the Lord asked.

"So, when do you wed?"

"May 6th, she was desperate to have a spring wedding"

A ghost of a smile took over the blonde man's features "And what kind of a man would you be if you did not bend to her wishes"

"Yeah, well, I'm not bothered when and how we get married, just as long as we end up married y'know?"

"Quite"

----

Willow extended a hand and rang the bell of the large red door. From inside music could be heard and sound of people getting terribly, terribly drunk. Buffy shifted her weight from one black jean clad leg to the other; she uncrossed her arms and went to pull the bell again. Tara give a tight smile and Willow gave a half one. Buffy rolled her eyes as another minute passed, before going to ring the bell yet again. This time, a woman with brunette hair and a bright smile, suggesting that she didn't have two brain cells to rub together answered the door.

"Hey!!" She squealed, jumping to hug Buffy, who startled said

"Uh, hi Anya"

"You guys came!"

"Yeah, we did, 10 minutes ago in fact" Willow smiled and Tara grinned

"You haven't drunk anything have you sweetie?"

"Me? No! No, no, I never drink, you know that silly…well, c'mon, come in! The party's raging!" With that, Anya swigged from her bottle of WKD and bounced back inside.

Willow shook her head, took Tara's hand and they walked inside. Buffy followed, as she was about to shut the door she could have sworn she felt something from outside touch her hand, ever so gently, as if to caress it. When she looked, there was nothing there save shadows and moonlight, shaking her head she pulled the door shut and went inside.

Sometime later, Buffy was sitting with Anya on the granite counter in the kitchen. Anya was still relatively tipsy, but Buffy had strict instructions from Willow not to let her get plastered, before Willow and Tara had disappeared off outside.

"Ahh…I think I'm in love Buffy" Anya said, leaning her head on her friends shoulder

"Well…thanks Ahn, but I'm engaged…sorry"

"Heehee, not you silly, though if I was gay like Will and Tara you'd be the first one I'd try and give orgasms to"

"Uhm…thanks?"

"No, I'm in love, with, three guys"

"Three?" Buffy wasn't surprised if Anya was juggling three guys; she assumed that she was simply saying love because of alcohol

"Yup. Xander...Andrew…and Oz"

"And who are they then?"

"Xander's a…architect. Andrew's a TV producer and Oz, Oz is a musician, oh my god!" She screeched, causing Buffy to wince "Oz! OZ!"

She jumped off the counter and ran towards a stoic looking guy with blue hair; he looked startled but let Anya put her tongue in his mouth. She pulled away grinning, then took his hand and led him up to the counter where Buffy was still sitting.

"Buffy, this is Oz, Oz, this is Buffy"

"Hey" He said in a mellow tone

"Hi" Buffy said, grinning, she was about to try and start a conversation with Anya dropped Oz's hand and squealed

"XANDER!" while running towards a tall guy with black hair, he grinned widely when he saw Anya running towards him and pulled her into a big kiss. Buffy noted that Oz only raised an eyebrow but shrugged, soon Anya was dragging Xander over there as well. Buffy gave another tight smile upon the introduction, and cast an amused expression at her friend, who was back out to greet yet another of her "male-friends", this time screaming "ANDREW! My lovely producing person!"

Very soon she was dragging in a startled, blonde man who was smiling nervously at Anya, obviously not believing his luck. He then noticed the glaring Xander and cool expression of Oz, and his smile faded slightly.

"Buffy! This is Andrew!"

"Hi, Andrew"

"Um, hi"

Feeling incredibly uncomftable, Buffy hopped off the counter "Its pretty hot, I'm gonna go get some air" She said

"Okay!" Anya grinned, pulling her in a hug "Come back soon!"

"I will!" Buffy grinned, waving at Anya's male-friends who were all sizing one another up.

Rolling her eyes and fanning herself with her hand, Buffy made her way to the back door and stepped out in the relative coolness of the garden. She walked down the steps of the house and walked into the maze, she knew her way around in blindfolded having known Anya since she was a toddler. She presently came to the centre, where a fountain was. She sat down on the stone bench and looked up at the stars, she kept her head back and smiled, she'd always loved the stars, when it was quiet nights like this it was as if they were whispering to her.

There it was again. Buffy could have sworn she saw a shadow move against the hedge. She shivered and tried rubbing her arms, a strange type of cold coming over her, like she was being touched by a cold figure. Her hair moved in a non-existent breeze and she heard _someone_ whispering

"Elizabeth…" in her ear

"William?" She said, before abruptly passing out.


	4. Chapter III

**{This is based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, some of the characters have needed some of their personalities fixed slightly, but they should be all relatively similar. I own nothing. Thankyou so much for the positive reviews! I hope this continues to live up to any expectations!}**

**Chapter 3 **

"…William…?"

"Buffy!? Buffy! Oh thank god, your awake, we were about to call the emergencey services"

Buffy slowly opened her eyes, and saw the concerned faces of Willow, Tara and Anya "Who's William?" Anya asked

"She probably just meant Willow…but it came out funny" Tara said gently

"Ugh, my heads funny" Buffy pouted, trying to get up

"Did you drink anything? Take anything"

"Willow, what kind of a wino do you think I am?"

"She's been as sober as pregnant lady; don't worry" Anya said, swigging from a bottle, Willow gave her an irritated look and took the bottle away from her "Hey!"

"What happened Buffy?" Tara asked

"I…dunno, I was just sitting there…and then I passed out." Without meaning to she blocked out the person whispering her name, and the mention of William. Buffy had absolutely no idea who William was, but for some bizarre reason she felt an overwhelming sense of…familiarity.

----

Angel couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes and slept, he would dream the same thing. Lord Rayne, drinking the blood of a child. He shuddered, and got out of bed, maybe a walk would help. He doubted it, this place was more like some freakish prison than anything else, but it would give him something to do.

Getting out of the four posted bed that threatened to eat whoever rolled around in it enough, Angel picked up the torch he'd been keeping under the bed, and got into a pair of jeans, and a jumper. Leaving his shoes, to be quieter, he walked out of the room, along to the dark landing and down the first flight of stairs. Now in the main landing, he turned off his torch, the candles still being lit in the hallway. Softly, he descended the carpeted staircase, surprised that not a single stair creaked at his tread. Turning the torch back on, he went through a different side door to the study, and found himself in a homely passage with bundles of herbs hanging from the rafters, and wooden panels, oak he assumed, by the colour. He walked along, and found another door, quietly; he opened that, to reveal an identical corridor, ending in a wooden spiral staircase, which went down into the basement or cellars. Angel looked around, disliking the complete, unnatural silence, and then descended the stairs.

He found himself next to a door frame, a heavy velvet curtain acting as a door. With no more than a whisper from the fabric, Angel moved it aside. He found himself in a dark red room. The floor was sunken in the middle, with a raised walkway around the age made of polished wood. Light, silk curtains covered the walls and scented candles burnt in an intoxicating manner, making any visitors to the room feel hypnotised and relaxed. Angel turned off the torch and found himself stepping into the sunken area, which was spongy, suggesting a large mattress or cushion covered the floor, the red velvet felt very enticing to his bare feet, and he found himself wishing to lie down.

As if in a trance or bizarre dream, Angel lay down, and realised that rose petals were scattered across the floor. He wasn't sure if you call it floor, floors were hard but this was soft, like a feather bed. His eyes fluttered shut, after what seemed like blissful hours, but were only a few seconds, he opened them again. As if she had materialised out of the floor, there was a woman lying next to him on her side, smiling like a siren. Her hair was blonde like Caribbean sand and her eyes were a pale blue, her skin was white and she continued to smile. In some part of his mind, Angel recognised her, she was one of the women who came to the mansion, he recalled Lord Rayne calling her Darla or a name of that manner. Angel didn't note that she was naked from the waist up as she leaned into the flick her tongue across his lips, unconsciously, he returned the kiss. Then he felt a cool hand running up and down his torso, somehow his jumper had been removed, he broke the kiss to see who this other person was, another one of the women who visited, she had long dark brown hair, _Cordelia _he remembered briefly before she went in to kiss him as well. Before he could really analyse the situation at all, another woman came to join them, she had long wavy light brown hair, Winifred he believed.

Time moved around the people in that room as they kissed, touched and stroked one another. While in the middle of a heavy kiss with Winifred, Angel remembered one word "Buffy!" He called out, the three women withdrew, looked at each other then continued their advances, Angel tried to push them away but his limbs felt heavy, for the first time he noticed the odd smell that the candles attempted to hide, the metallic tang of blood. He tried to crawl away; his hand went in something dry and flaking, dried blood. He shuddered, feeling scared. He noted the cuts on his torso; they had been attempting to _drink his blood_.

Adrenaline, panic and drowsiness coursed through his blood, he had to get out of there, but he didn't know if he could. A sharp snap grabbed his attention, and he whipped his head around to see Lord Rayne standing there with a sinister smile twisting his features. In his hand, he held a young child who was apparently hypnotised or sedated, Angel felt revulsion and fear at the hungry, playful smiles that lit up the faces of the three women they half crawled, half walked over to Lord Rayne, begging like dogs for some meat from their master. Lord Rayne's smile widened and he handed the child to Darla who giggled, the three formed a tight circle, and Angel passed out before he could hear the ripping of flesh and the screaming.

William chuckled at the man, he was a fool.

"Take care of him ladies…" He said, before sweeping out of the room, heading through a different door, into a plain room, the floor was sandy and earthy, a large hole was in the floor, and large boxes filled up the space. A few were missing.

----

_January 30th, 2004___

"I think I was sleep walking yesterday" Anya said, while sipping from her large coffee mug in the Espresso Pump, at the round metal table with Buffy and Willow.

"How d'you know?" Buffy asked

"I woke up outside, with scratches all over me" Buffy and Willow both winced "I mean _everywhere_" Anya continued "Like, even in places down south"

Willow choked on her coffee in her haste to hide her awkwardness, Buffy's eyes widened "Why the scarf? Did you scratch your neck?"

"Oh, no, that's another real weird thing. When I was tidying myself up this morning, I saw these two…like, holes in my neck. All red and…raw, put some antiseptic and a plaster, but still, ew. I don't know how I got _that_"

"Maybe you cut yourself?" Willow put in

"Yeah, maybe I cut myself while I was scratching my nose with a fork" Anya rolled her eyes "Tell me how that's possible"

"…does have a point" Buffy agreed "Maybe you should see a doctor"

"If it starts weeping I will" Anya said, Willow choked again

"Gross!"

"What? Would you rather I said, I will if blood juice comes streaming out"

"Eww"

"Exactly."

Buffy glanced up at the clock above the counter. 11:45am.

"I'd better be off, stuff to do today"

"You mean, moping, over Angel being an ass"

"…that too"

Willow and Anya laughed, and pulled Buffy in for a hug each. Buffy then picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, gave a small wave and left. She strolled purposefully along the street, in the direction of the chemists; she needed to pick up some photos. A slight breeze caught her hair, and pushed it in front of her face, she tossed her head in an attempt to make it go away, and her eyes met with a pair of bright blue ones across the crowded street. A chill went through her.

America was certainly exciting, especially Los Angeles. After flying from England, the crate he'd been in had gotten stuck in customs temporarily, until a man of his known as Charles Gunn got it safely through. He'd then had to travel by road to LA, but it would be worth it. William stood in the crowded street, looking at the passers by, each of them oblivious to him. His eyes raked the scene, he knew, without a doubt that he would find her there…just…when?

Suddenly, a short blonde woman across the street caught his eye. She was walking alone at a brisk pace, wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans. Her hair was just past her shoulders, and fluttered behind her as she moved. William felt like his heart was beating.

_See me…_ he though, directing the small amount of energy he had during daylight hours, towards her. A slight breeze in the opposite direction pushed a lock of her hair in front of her face; she casually tossed her head to make the hair return to its original place, and her hazel eyes locked with his blue ones. She frowned, he sensed her recognition, but she was trying to ignore whatever she felt. She turned her head abruptly and started walking on hurriedly. William smirked, she knew him, that would do…for the time being. With a swish of his leather coat, he turned and began walking in the opposite direction to where she was going. His plan was to come around the backstreets and run into her as she left her destination.

While she collected her photos, Buffy couldn't shake off the feeling that she knew that man, it was too much, those eyes. What's more, she had no clue where she knew him from, she was positive she would have remembered him clearly, that hair, those eyes…that body. She shivered, _Bad Buffy. Bad, soon to be married Buffy_ she mentally scolded herself and paid the woman at the till. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts as she left the shop, that she didn't realise there was a man in front of her until she walked straight into him. Her bag went flying and his hand snatched out to catch it, he grinned and handed it back.

"Distracted pet?"

_English…_ Buffy thought before giving a weak smile "Little, lot on my mind y'know?"

"Yeah, I know the feeling"

"Well, thanks, and sorry, for walking into you"

"Not a problem, I doubt anyone would mind someone like you walking into them"

Buffy smiled, then remembered Angel and frowned "Well, have to go" She moved to get around him, he dodged and stopped her

"Whats your name, love?"

"Buffy" She moved to get around the other side, he blocked her again

"I'm William, Spike to me mates"

"Right, can I get by?"

"Hold up love"

"Stop calling me that…I have a fiancée"

"Good for you pet, just wanna chat, nothing more"

"Oh, okay"

He grinned "Typical woman, think every man's trying to get into your knickers" Buffy gave a small smile "Look, I'm new over here, new in LA for that matter…don't suppose you could show a lost Englishman around do you?"

Surprised at letting the words come out of her mouth before she had time to think them through, and surprised at her boldness, Buffy replied with "…where is it you wanna go?"


	5. Chapter IV

**{This is based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, some of the characters have needed some of their personalities fixed slightly, but they should be all relatively similar. I own nothing. Thankyou so much for the positive reviews! I hope this continues to live up to any expectations! Apologies for this chapter, there's an awful lot of speech, also, The Wolf Sisters are an invention of my own, I'm not stupid, don't worry}**

**Chapter 4 **

Buffy was certain she was going to hell. She could not stop thinking about William, or Spike, as she had recently been calling him. They were spending a lot of time together; Buffy felt some weird connection with him and on some level, didn't want to get him off her mind. This would be a good thing, fantastic and beautiful even…if it weren't for Angel. She hadn't received any word from Angel for about a month now, she was worried, but for some reason, not as worried as she felt she should have been. When the little anxious Buffy started trying to corrupt the rest of Buffy in an almighty panic, a voice would counter, saying Angel was a big strong boy and he could look after himself. He didn't need a frantic girlfriend.

She had agreed to stay with Anya that night, Anya had been sleepwalking again and she wanted someone there to snap her out of it or something if she did it again. Buffy and Anya were sitting on Anya's four posted bed which had once been involved in some film set in Arabia, with the curtains drawn around them, in the middle of the bed was a torch and both girls ate brownies. It was something they'd done since they were 6.

"I've decided something" Anya said, sucking chocolate off her finger

"Huh?"

"I'm getting married"

"What?! Who to? Why didn't you tell me IMEDIATELY!?"

Anya laughed "Because I wanted to be sure, but now I am. I'm going to marry Xander! I love him; I love him, be my maid of honour…please?"

"Of course I will…so, Xander…the architect right?"

"Yep, big…strong…and when he digs…oh…it just makes me think of when we're-"

"O-Kay, stop right there missy!" Buffy grinned "I'm so happy for you!"

Anya brought Buffy into a hug "Me to!" She drew away, taking another brownie "Have you heard from Angel?"

Buffy's face fell slightly "No…nothing, not for ages. I'm worried, I am"

"Oh, well, maybe he's having such a good time in England with this Lord…no…that sounds wrong" Anya's comment earned a small smile from Buffy "I'm sure it's nothing. He used to do this a lot didn't he? Before you guys started living together"

"Yeah…he'd go into a little brooding-fest every time I pointed out a tiny criticism. He showed up late for a date, I told him he was late, he wouldn't talk to me for like, a week"

"There you go then!"

"Yeah…it's nothing"

---

It was some point during the early morning; Buffy had woken up and was lying there listening to the birds outside. Anya was still asleep, and Buffy turned to look at her. It was then, she noticed that Anya's breathing had become irregular; in fact, it was getting shallower and shallower.

"Anya? Anya!" Buffy kneeled and started shaking her friend's shoulders, Anya groaned

"Why's there an earthquake…?"

"Anya, oh, thank god, you're alive! Your breathing was going so weird and-"

Anya blearily opened her eyes "Huh? What?"

Buffy frowned, and looked at the plaster on Anya's neck. It was red with blood. Buffy reached out and ripped off the plaster, the wound was still bleeding.

Buffy looked at Anya, she showed an expression of confusion "We need to get you a doctor"

"No! No doctors! I'm fine Buffy, just fine!" After half and hour of trying to get Anya dressed and ready to see a doctor, Buffy was no closer to her goal. Anya was currently sitting on her balcony, the door to her bedroom locked, still in her night dress. Buffy stood in the garden below, yelling her persuasions up to her.

"Ahn! Please? You wouldn't want it to be something really serious would you?"

"Its not, so I am not worried"

"So why won't you go to a doctor!"

"NO!"

"Fine!" Buffy gave a large sigh and dialled the number of the doctor's surgery, Anya screamed from the balcony

"Don't you dare Buffy-!"

"Hello? Yes, I was wondering if a doctor could come to see my friend, she's been sleepwalking and cut her neck, it's still bleeding slightly after a few days. Yeah, that'd be great"

Buffy rattled off the address, then put down the phone "The doctors on his way"

"Buffy! I'll kill you!"

"…Okay, this is odd"

Buffy turned to see the blue haired man from the party. He had an expression of mild confusion "So, she won't go to a doctor, and she's upstairs…yet you're down here"

"Oz?!"

"…Right here An"

There was a squeal from upstairs, and then soon Anya arrived in the hallway wearing her red slip, she charged into Oz and gave him a hug. He kissed her on the cheek

"So, what's up?"

"Ah…Buffy she's just worried about me…I seem to be…losing a lot of…blood" Her eyelids were drifting downwards and her voice got fainter, Buffy glanced at Oz then got Anya to sit down in a chair

"The doctor's gonna be here soon…don't worry" Buffy locked eyes with Oz "Stay with her for a bit? I'll go get a robe for her"

"Sure"

Buffy smiled and left the room. Oz kneeled beside Anya "I've got, good news" Anya smiled

"Yeah? What's that?"

"I'm getting married!"

"Really?" His voice was still emotionless "Who to?"

"Xander…the architect. I'm going to be Mrs Anya Christina Emmanuelle D'Hoffren-Harris…"

"Congratulations"

She gave a wide smile "Thaaankyoou"

"No problem"

"Give me a kiss?"

He pecked her on the lips, then got up as the doorbell rang "I'll go get it"

Presently, Oz returned with the young Doctor, Knox. Buffy had gotten Anya to put on a white silky robe and was kneeling beside her friend.

"Hey, Anya"

"Hi…"

"So what's the problem?"

"A few days ago she was sleepwalking, has been a lot, and she's gotten all these scratches from the first time. She also has this wound on her neck, like, two punctures, and its left over from a few days ago. It's still bleeding, and she's lost a lot of blood"

"I put disinfectant on…and plasters…what's up doc…haha, Bugs Bunny…"

Buffy pulled a face and the doctor nodded, and examined Anya's neck.

"There's nothing there" He said bluntly, Buffy frowned. She looked at Anya's neck, it was healed. Her eyes widened in shock.

"But…this morning…"

"Looks to me like you were just tired or something, but she does seem to be suffering from anaemia…I'll prescribe some iron tablets, that should clear it right up."

"Okay…uh, Thankyou"

He gave a polite smile "No problem"

The doctor left. Buffy was still confused and glanced at Anya who was sitting there as she had been. Oz was frowning.

"I saw the marks…they were definitely there" He said slowly "…this is odd"

"But then…?" The blonde shook her head "This is weird" She looked at Anya's neck again, the punctures were still gone.

"…I have a friend…she deals with lots of people in the entertainment business in LA, she…might be able to help"

"How?"

"She's like…private doctor, psychiatrist. But she deals with a lot of weird stuff, people think they see weird stuff, and they go to her. She's called Faith, I think I should give her a call."

"…I don't think Anya's just got anaemia"

"Me neither, so I'll take that as a go-call prompt"

Buffy nodded, Oz left to go to another room and she turned her attention to Anya

"It's okay, we'll get help for you" Buffy said comfortingly "Try and sleep"

Anya nodded, yawning "…tired now…"

---

A few hours later, Buffy, Oz and a now dressed Anya were sitting in the corridor of a small two storey building. To Buffy, it felt like they'd been zapped into some 1920s Crime film, she expected Faith to be wearing a trench coat…and possibly a hat. The differences with the scenarios being that the hallway was painted dark pink and there was paintings of abstract shapes on the walls. She sighed and checked the clock on the wall. This day was just plain _weird_.

Presently a woman with vast amounts of bright red lipstick and a Courtney Love style mop of peroxide blonde hair came out of the main room and into the hall. Lighting up a cigarette, she nodded her head at the door

"She's ready for you" The woman took a long drag of the cigarette then walked her and her red dress and leather jacket out of the building.

"…that's the type she normally deals with?"

"Yeah…she helps people break drug habits without the whole publicity thing" Oz said "Shall we?"

"Yeah"

Buffy and Oz helped Anya up and into the office. Oz swung the door open, and Buffy got Anya in and sat down on one of the metallic seats in front of the wooden desk. The room was dark blue, with a long blue couch and a load of pot plants. A punch bag hung in the corner, along with various paintings and the like. The window was covered by horizontal blinds, and the whole place smelt of cigarette smoke and perfume. Behind the desk sat a long haired, red lipstick wearing brunette woman in a leather jacket and a halter top.

"Hey Oz, babe" She said, smiling widely and dragging on a cigarette

"Hey Faith. This is Buffy, and Anya"

"Hey" Faith nodded her head at Buffy who gave a tight smile "What's the problem?"

"Anya, a few days ago she was sleepwalking, has been a lot, and she's gotten all these scratches from the first time. She also has this wound on her neck, like, two punctures, and its left over from a few days ago. It's still bleeding, and she's lost a lot of blood, the doctor came…but he said there wasn't anything there, and now there isn't. He said she has anaemia and gave her some tablets…but, Oz saw the punctures, so did Anya and my friend Willow"

"I see…" Faith got up and went to kneel down in front of Anya "Anya? I'm Faith, I wanna help. When you sleepwalked, do you remember anything?"

"I was…pretty out of it" Anya smiled weakly "But…" Suddenly her eyes widened in panic "Those…red eyes…and I couldn't control myself! And then…my soul left my body…and I woke up and didn't remember anything…but…oh god…those eyes! And he lured me…and I went…" She sobbed "I can still taste the blood…"

Buffy's eyes widened. Faith frowned but nodded

"I need to make a call, a specialist in this field. Rupert Giles, he taught me a lot of stuff, he can help."

Buffy nodded "…guess I'll call her fiancée and let him now what's going on…"

---

"Master?"

"Yes, Mr Price"

"There is a slightly hitch in our plans. Mr O'Connor took a dive, and now he's missing"

"Is he alive?"

"I presume so Master"

"…send the wolf sisters after him"

"Of course Master…"


	6. Chapter V

**{This is based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, some of the characters have needed some of their personalities fixed slightly, but they should be all relatively similar. I own nothing. Thankyou so much for the positive reviews! I hope this continues to live up to any expectations! A few snippets of dialogue from the film here, and closer to the plot of the film, I hope it works}**

**Chapter 5 **

Hard to breathe, adrenaline rushing through his blood. A message in his head, he hoped she would hear it, somehow. _I love you Buffy, I won't let him get you. Mine. _They'd been tracking him since he'd escaped, he could hear them, smell their bloodlust. He didn't know what they were exactly, but he knew that they were going to kill him. Stumbling over a tree root he became aware of the aching hunger in his gut, the sense of light headedness. He was also painfully aware of how his body was in excruciating pain.

For how long he didn't know, he'd been kept in a basement room in the manor. The three women had been keeping him for their master. They drank enough blood to leave him weak, and the rest of the time made him watch them fondle one another. He had managed to escape through the water, somehow. Now he was lost in the woods surrounding the manor, with _them_ tracking him.

A savage growl, a girlish giggle. His blood ran cold.

---

_So the guy finally got a secretary huh? _Faith mused as an American woman answered Giles's phone. She smirked.

"Hey, is Mr Giles there?"

"Yeah, who is it?"

"Faith, I'm a friend of his"

"Okay, I'll just check"

Faith heard muffled voices, the woman talking to Giles. An eyebrow quirked, that woman really was fulfilling the stereotypical role of secretary.

"Hello?" Came the heavily British voice of Rupert Giles, vampire hunter.

"Hey Rupes, it's me!"

"Faith? Good to hear from you! What's been happening of late?"

"I was hoping you could come out, we got a thing. Like, big thing." She looked around the dimly lit office "Something old"

"What do you mean?"

"This chick came in today with her friends. She was damn freaking out, been sleepwalking, and she had bite marks in her neck. Yet they'd disappeared when a doctor came to look at her. I couldn't see fuck-all but her friends both insisted they'd seen them, bleeding even days after they'd been made. I spoke to her, rich chick called Anya, gonna be getting married some time soon. Anyways, she said that her soul left her body, she couldn't control herself. And she mentioned red eyes, then bust into a panic attack. She also said she could still taste the blood, I think she's changing. It's a shit of a problem; add to that, she didn't remember until I asked her."

There was a very long silence at the other end. Faith waited for him to stop thinking.

"I think I understand"

"What do you mean?"

"Lord Rayne."

Faith froze "…no, you're shitting me"

"I am not…shitting you"

"You are! God! Don't scare me like that!" Panic was lacing her voice, she was scared

"I'm deadly serious Faith, you know I am."

"But it's not for certain right?"

"…no, but, I'll catch the next flight possible. Whoever it is, this girl is in trouble. I have a terribly bad feeling about this."

Faith lit up a cigarette, and mentally did something she hadn't done since she was little. She prayed.

---

Buffy was leaning against the food counter at the cinema. Spike was buying popcorn for them, and she was able to forget about Anya's troubles and the lack of news from Angel while she focused on Spike, the good looking, polite English guy who made her laugh and she felt like she had known for years.

"Sweet or salt, love?"

Buffy jumped, that was exactly what Angel asked her every time they went to see a film. He knew she hated sweet, but he always asked. This set off a number of memories about him, and she felt incredibly dirty and dishonest being here with Spike.

"I…I shouldn't, I gotta…I gotta go"

"Buffy?"

She gave a weak smile and turned to leave. Spike frowned and followed her, quickly.

_Turn left_ He thought, trying to direct her to one of the seating areas. She did.

"Buffy, love, please wait"

She turned, long enough for him to grab her arms and make her sit down on the bench.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"Don't be scared Elizabeth" He looked into her eyes, then down at the ground "Don't be scared of the dark, Drusilla, I won't let the nasty things hurt you"

Buffy's eyes widened "How do I know you? Who are you?"

"I have crossed oceans of time to find you"

As if it was all some kind of freaky dream, a white wolf came padding towards them. Dimly, Buffy could hear the screams and shocked expressions of people as they fled. In seconds the area was deserted save for her, Spike and the wolf. She turned with wide eyes to the blonde man beside her, his attention was fully on her, his expression almost hungry, a mix of desire and an emotion Buffy couldn't read. Adoration? He leaned in closer to her, to rest his forehead against hers. She wasn't sure, nothing seemed entirely real, but his teeth seemed…larger, predatory, fangs. He drew away

"Here Buffy…come on"

The wolf trotted towards them, it snarled, then from a soft pet on its head from Spike, it rubbed its wet nose against Buffy's palm. Her eyes widened even further, and tentatively she reached out her palm to stroke it. The fur was soft and silky, with a smile she turned to Spike, he had a look of delight across his face.

"He likes you"

---

A heavy storm like this was not usual in LA. Yet it certainly fitted the arrival of one middle aged British man, in a brown trench coat, spectacles and a leather briefcase. Torrents of rain streamed off his black umbrella, he cleaned his glasses with a tissue, and with damp, cold hands examined the address on the piece of paper. He looked at the name of the house at the gate post, it matched up. He hunched up to avoid his neck becoming too exposed to the cold, then pushed open one of the metal gates and walked up the driveway.

He rang the doorbell, and waited expectantly. Presently, Faith answered the door, a man with dark hair stood behind her looking concerned, rubbing his chin.

"Rupert!" Faith smiled, pulling the British man into a hug, Giles returned the hug and placed his bag down in the hallway, he also lowered his umbrella and stepped indoors.

"Good evening Faith, how are you?"

"Good thanks, how was the flight?"

"As well as can be expected for such an accursed flying invention" He said briskly, shrugging off his coat and dumping it in the arms of the concerned man who appeared startled.

"Where is she?" Giles asked, picking up his bag

"Up here" Faith said, indicating for him to follow. Giles nodded and did so, the other man followed, noticed the coat and hung it up on a peg before hurrying after the two doctors.

"So she is showing signs of anaemia, taking iron tablets and is still getting weaker?"

"Got it in one"

"I see, is she suffering the signs of blood loss"

"Yup"

A shrill moan was heard from upstairs, Giles glanced at Faith then they both broke into a run. They burst into Anya's bedroom to see her writhing on the bed. Both were too busy looking at her to notice the cold shadow sweep out of the room.

"Shut the bloody door" Giles snapped, indicating towards the balcony as the other man entered, the man nodded and did so. Giles walked up to Anya and looked at her, she had passed out and was breathing shallowly, he frowned, then brought her hair away from her neck. Angry punctures were in the flesh. Bite marks. His face flashed from a frown into an anxious glare. He looked at Faith who was lighting up a cigarette.

"I don't care that we are in a Beverly Hills mansion, she needs a blood transfusion immediately. Put that cancer out Faith and come here, I'll need your blood"

Faith nodded and sat next to the bed, taking off her leather jacket to reveal her bare arm. Giles opened the bag and took out the necessary items for the transfusion, from the balcony door, Xander looked concerned

"Is that uh…hygienic"

"Do you want her to live or not?" Giles said shortly, Xander's adams apple bobbed nervously as he shook his head.

"Give her my blood" He said, Faith nodded and moved.

"Could hurt a bit" She said as she inserted a needle into Xander's arm, he winced and bit his lip, but did not move an inch.

"I'd die for her"

"That won't be quite necessary…yet" Giles said absently, putting a needle into Anya's arm

A few hours later, Faith and Xander stood in the garden. Oz had joined them while checking up on Anya. They all wore expressions of concern. Anya had, had 2 blood transfusions in the past 3 hours, and they still had no idea where all her blood had gone.

"What the hell took that much outta her…I mean, there was so little" Xander said disbelievingly.

"It's definitely weird" Oz agreed.

Giles came up to them, the rain had stopped and his hands were in the pockets of his tweed jacket.

"That is certainly the question. Do you know where the blood was lost?"

"Her neck" Faith said "There were holes in her neck"

"Exactly, but what's the problem with this scene?"

"…the sheets, her sheets and clothes were clean"

"So where _did_ the blood go then?" Xander asked

"Where do you think?"

"What are you suggesting, some thing went up there, made the holes and took her blood as a souvenir?"

"Why not?"

All three Americans wore expressions of shock and disgust. Giles remained neutral

"We are not dealing with a mere case of sleepwalking or self harm. What we are dealing with is a monster, a beast, an unholy demon. Something that wants Anya, it lives by feeding on the blood of the living, and it will not let her go easily. We must act fast"

---

Sitting in a dimly lit bar, hidden from public view, Buffy and Spike sat in a contemplative silence. Buffy was yet again musing upon her actions in recent hours. She knew what was happening with Anya, Oz had contacted her earlier. Things had gotten so plain _weird_ since Angel had gone. Anya had fallen ill, she had some amazingly strong yet unexplainable connection with a British man called William, and Angel hadn't contacted her in months. Yet although all this happened, Buffy's heart was telling her to act like she was, she had to know why she had this connection. She wanted to explore it further.

"Don't you just love wine pet? It's got so much more character than other alcoholics, and it's such a nice colour."

"Are you drunk Spike?"

"Not at all love" He was more serious than earlier, more philosophical one would think. His voice had settled to a comfortable tone which made Buffy feel like she was alone with him, completely hidden from the world.

"What's England like?"

"…beautiful…"

Buffy got a faraway look in her green eyes "Woods and hills…ancient places…red skies at night and hares running across fields."

"You've been?"

"No…never"

He gave a soft variation of his usual smirk and sipped his glass of wine "You sound like you have"

"Maybe it's your accent…maybe that's why I think I know you so well…maybe that place I go to in dreams is summed up by your voice" She sighed and smiled "I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy"

"You could never be crazy Buffy"

"Don't you have a girlfriend back home William? A wife?"

"I did…once…long ago"

"What was she like?"

"Her name was Drusilla…she was beautiful, a real princess, a real lady…but she took her own life. Cut her throat while I was out picking flowers for her" His eyes met hers, she was full of a great sadness

"She was very sad"

"I know, pet"


	7. Chapter VI

**{This is based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, some of the characters have needed some of their personalities fixed slightly, but they should be all relatively similar. I own nothing. Thankyou so much for the positive reviews! I hope this continues to live up to any expectations! Apologies for the delay, my muse went walkabout. Threatening reviews also welcome :) }**

**Chapter 6 **

"1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10! Coming! Ready or not-!" The fair haired girl shouted out, coming out from behind a tree ready to look for her older brother and his friend. From a little way of, the two boys looked at each other and grinned, she'd never find them there.

After about 10 minutes of hiding, the girl started getting impatient. "Ben?! Where are you?!" All she got in response was the damp silence of the forest, she shivered as a cold wind came over her "Ben?! Martin?!" again, no response. She rubbed her bare arms and tugged at her skirt, biting her lip in anxiety. Mummy would be cross if she found out they'd come into the woods, her parents always told her not to, but she'd followed Ben and Martin, making them take them with her, they'd brought her there and said to play hide-and-seek. Now she was scared.

"Cut it out! It isn't fun anymore!" She cried, all that happened in response was a few birds flew from the trees "Ben! Martin! Where are you?"

She hopped over a rotting log and pushed her way through some trees, she'd found the path again and sighed. Ben and Martin were no where to be seen. She crossed the path and pushed through some more trees, a man was lying half dressed with his face half in the mud. He was covered in cuts, bruises and dried blood. A number of nasty, rather deep wounds decorated his torso, some crusting, and some bleeding. Her lip trembled, bile rose in her throat and she started stepping backwards. Her mouth opened and she let a scream rip, almost shaking the trees with the amount of terror inside it.

"Buffy?!" The Angel's face rose off the ground slightly, his eyes squinted and tried to see what was going on. He tried to spit the mud out of his mouth "Buffy? Where are you?" He croaked, a little girl stood not far off, her young face a picture of terror. Two boys came running to stand with her, their eyes wide as they stared at him.

"…go get mum!" One of the boys said breathlessly, the other turned and ran.

---

The phone rang, Buffy ran to answer it, wondering if it was news about Anya. She'd been to visit her friend yesterday and found her condition incredibly worrying. Faith informed her that a doctor from England would be coming that day, Buffy hoped he was doing his job well.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Buffy Summers?"

"Speaking, who is this?"

"My name is Anne Bailey, I'm a doctor at Ipswich hospital in Suffolk, England. Your fiancée Angel O'Conner came in here a few hours ago, he was found in some woods nearby by some local children, he was suffering extreme blood loss, wounds and exhaustion, he's in a stable condition and he told us that you're his next of kin. He wishes you to come to England to see him, he believes you're in a great amount of danger and what's you to be married immediately."

"I…I see"

As the doctor told Buffy about Angel's condition and when he was going to be discharged, her thoughts and stomach churned. Angel was alive and well, she had to go see him. She was going to be married. Spike, what about Spike?

_He cannot know about me and Spike…_

---

When the troubled blonde woman went to the door of Anya's house, Xander answered it.

"Hey, how's Anya?"

"Better, I think…she's awake and talking and stuff…"

"Good! Can I see her?"

"Sure, come right on through"

"Thanks, would you mind getting some water for these?"

"No problem…she loves bluebells doesn't she?"

Buffy smiled warmly at him. She could tell the last few days had been a big strain on him, and she didn't blame him for looking half dead. She walked past him and jogged up the stairs to get to Anya's room. The door was open and Buffy could see that someone had put flowers in there; she smiled and knocked on the doorframe as she entered.

"Ah, you must be Buffy" A middle aged man with greying hair and spectacles smiled at her from the balcony window, Faith stood just outside with a lit cigarette in a hand and she waved her hand in a slight wave

"Hey B"

"Hi, how is she?"

"She can speak for herself!" Anya said croakily from the bed, Buffy smiled widely and went to sit in the chair next to the bed.

"Ahn! You're awake"

"Yeah, and feeling grouchy, are you aware that I had a blood transfusion in this room? My blood could have all dried up if it'd been the wrong kind"

"But it didn't, and that my dear, is what counts" The doctor said, Faith smirked and Anya rolled her eyes

"Hm…your glowing Buffy…you've heard from Angel haven't you!?"

Buffy's smile widened further and she blushed slightly "Yes, but…not so much in a way of good, he's alive, but they found him in some woods covered in animal bites, I'm meant to go over there, and get married immediately…but I can't leave you, your too sick"

"Buffy! You've got to go to him, you've got to marry him, and love him, and have lots of sex with him, and have lots of children, and call your first daughter Anya after me!"

Buffy laughed, but there were tears in her eyes. Anya slipped a ring off her finger and pressed it into Buffy's hand "I want you to have that, it's my wedding present…sorry it's not a toaster"

"No Anya…"

"Don't worry about me! I've got my Xander, and Oz is here, and Mr Giles, and Faith…what could go wrong? Tell Angel, oceans of love"

Buffy bit her lip and went to kiss Anya on the cheek, Anya smiled at her "GO!" the blonde haired woman smiled at her friend and got up.

"Get better soon!"

"I will"

"Love you"

"Love you to, sis. Now stop plaguing me and go plague Angel!"

Buffy laughed, then, her eyes met her friends for a second before she turned and left.

Xander came in on her way out with the flowers in a glass vase. "For my special girl" He grinned, Anya turned and smiled at him. Then noticed the necklace tied tightly at her throat.

"Ugh! This is why I can't breathe…garlic?!" She started clawing at it desperately, in a split second Giles was by her side, holding her hands to prevent her from taking it off

"Shh…it's medicinal, to help you sleep"

"Its _garlic_"

"Hey, this'll cheer you up, Oz-man is here to see you" Xander said faux cheerfully, in an attempt to distract her. The blue haired man came into the room, he smiled at Faith who nodded her head, and walked over to Anya's side.

"Oz!" Anya beamed at him, he smiled weakly

"Hey Ahn"

Giles nodded absently and went back onto the balcony. He took off his spectacles and cleaned them.

"I have to go Ahn, but I'll be back later don't worry. Need to change and sort some stuff out at work okay?" Xander bent down, kissed Anya's forehead then left the room. Oz sat down in the chair which Buffy had previously inhabited.

"Xander asked me to come watch over you, so you'd better calm down or I'll get kicked out by the doctor. Agreed?"

"Of course" She smiled at him "Now…haven't you got a kiss for me Oz? I won't be unmarried much longer…so have you got a kiss for me?"

Oz smiled and went in to kiss her cheek, Anya's eyes glinted manically for a second and suddenly Oz got the weird sensation that Anya was trying to bite his neck, her hands grabbed at him and he felt her teeth graze his skin, he let out a grunt of surprise and discomfort and pulled away sharply, she hissed and tried to bite him properly, but once again Giles was pulling her down.

"Way…way, un-cool" Oz said breathlessly, rubbing his neck. Faith stood by him, looking disturbed

"Get off me!" Anya howled as Giles held her down.

"Shh…sleep Anya, sleep now…shh…" A few seconds past and her eyes shut, she had fallen asleep. Giles warily pulled her upper lip up slightly to reveal a pair of fangs protruding from the gums where her regularly sized incisors had once been. He nodded gravely.

"…nosferatu…"

---

Spike sat in the bar he and Buffy had drank wine in the previous night. She was late this evening, but it didn't matter, he knew he was winning her heart, he could see it in her eyes, smell it on her, and when they danced…it was as if the stars stopped shining on the world, saving their mystical power to bring him and her together.

A bar maid walked over with a bottle of wine and a glass, a folded up piece of paper was on the tray. She put the bottle and the glass down, then handed the paper to the attractive man with bleached hair. He frowned slightly but opened it up. It was from Buffy, she must have called the bar and asked them to pass on a message. Dread settled in his stomach.

_Dear William,_

_Forgive me. I got a call from a hospital in __England__, my fiancée is alive and I am to go and join him so we may be married. I will never see you again. _

- _Elizabeth___

Shivering as he folded up the note, he felt the dread turn to despair and salt stung his eyes, he let out a sob, and tears began to fall. Complete despair.

---

Buffy tried to sleep on the plane, but her thoughts were working overtime, and they all went back to Spike. It felt like he was with her now, his voice talking to her about all manner of things. She knew that never before had she felt so alive, with Angel…she felt like a teenager in love, but with Spike…it was so much more, she knew him yet did not, she felt a deep connection that couldn't be traced. Getting married did not seem nearly as exciting as it once had, more like a chore she could not avoid. And Angel…what was to be done?

_Maybe you're just a bad, inconsistent woman_ Buffy thought bitterly, closing her eyes once again.

---

Sitting in Faith's study or demon library as she called it, Giles opened a particularly musty book which he carried with him everywhere. On the worn, leather cover, gold lettering spelled out 'Vampyre'. It was dark outside now, the room was lit only by a single lamp and Giles checked that the window to the outside world was shut and locked before he began reading the book.

Thumbing his way through the pages, he came to the one he was looking for. Lord William Rayne, William The Bloody, Spike. He was married and was trying to find a cure for the plague, be believed it was a disease of the blood and was studying various samples to try and find a cure. After his wife committed suicide he denounced God, and became a vampyre, a monster. His first victim was a mutual friend of him and his wife in life, Winifred Burkle, he set fire to her house, then when she came outside he seduced her, and drank her blood.

"…The blood is the life" Giles muttered to himself, "Her blood is the life…"

A sudden wind picked up, Giles could hear it howling outside, it made the lamp shake and he felt the hair on his neck rise.

"Its Rayne, the monster I have pursued my whole life" A dark smile took over his features "Couldn't be anything save him…"

In an instant he was up and headed for the living room. Faith lay on the couch watching MTV, and she looked up when Giles came into the room, an odd eccentricity seemed to have taken him, his eyes gleamed with a grim excitement.

"It is him, it is Rayne"

"Shit…we gotta go up to Anya's then huh?"

"Immediately! Now! Hurry!" He ushered Faith to get up and pulled on his coat "Whether she lives or dies depends on how fast we get up there! Time is of the essence"

"Alright! I won't take a bathroom stop then huh?"

Giles was already out of the door and on the way to Faith's car. Faith pulled on her leather jacket and jogged after him, sliding into the driving seat and starting the engine. The journey was a tense silence as Faith pushed the speed limit as much as possible, hurriedly slowing down in areas where she knew the police would be congregating. They eventually pulled up at Anya's house, Giles was out of the car even as Faith was parking, running up to the front door. Oz answered, and Faith saw his concern as Giles pushed past him. Faith ran to join them. She got into the hall just as Giles was explaining to Xander and Oz what was going on.

"You had both best guard her well tonight, for I fear it may already be to late. Anya is changing, into a bitch of the devil. A whore of darkness"

"Hey, watch your mouth" Xander snapped

"Listen! Anya is not a random victim to an illness, we have already established that a monster is hunting her. But there is more, she is a willing victim, a devil's concubine. Do you understand? We must guard her" He paused and cleaned his glasses "However, not on an empty stomach. Faith, I'm starving"

Xander's eyes bugged as he stared at the man "You…what?"

"Call a pizza or whatever it is you Americans eat! Quickly!"


End file.
